Seda Lio: El Nido’s Sustainable 5-Star Resort Reviewed

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Tucked away from El Nido town on Lio beach is Seda Lio, the first sustainable 5-star resort in the Philippines. They pride themselves on responsible eco-tourism and sustainability in a country that is already feeling the effects of climate change. While these terms are often misused to appeal to certain clientele, it’s always great to come across an establishment that actually puts these ideas into practice.

Seda Lio offers their guests luxury, relaxation and a peaceful haven away from the hustle and bustle to explore this stunning island from.

Read more: Philippines Travel Tips: 25 Things to Know Before Visiting

Getting To Lio

We spent 4 nights here and flew directly to Lio via AirSwift. I would highly recommend this over going through the tedious expedition of landing in Puerto Princesa and dealing with at least 6 hours of onward travel to get to Lio.

Our flight from Bohol took around an hour, and it was one of the most pleasant travel experiences we have ever had. Not only was the airport in Bohol great, the entire AirSwift experience was elite. The flight was delayed by an hour or so, which is always to be expected with domestic flights in Asia, but the tiny propellor plane itself was so spacious, clean and comfortable and the service, outstanding.

Read more: 15 Epic Things To Do In Cebu, A Travel Guide

On arrival at Lio’s adorable, tropical-themed airport, a member of staff from Seda Lio was there to greet us and bring us to the resort; literally a 5-minute drive away. The transfer is complimentary and it was a seamless operation.

Checking-In To Seda Lio

Check-in was smooth too, though we weren’t given any information about the resort on arrival which felt a bit strange. The rudimentary breakfast timings and the wifi password would have been useful, but a speedy check-in simply means you can get into your room faster to freshen up before coming back to ask questions and find your bearings.

The property is vast with multiple low rise buildings scattered around; confusing at first but you soon figure it out.

The Room

We booked a deluxe room with a garden view and it was typical of what you’d expect in a 5-star beach resort; bright and spacious with a large balcony. Relatively newly refurbished and minimal in design, the neutral beige and cream décor with accents of dark wood and rattan added to the luxurious feel. 

The king bed was incredibly comfortable with a sofa placed in a cosy corner of the room.

There is a fridge and tea/coffee amenities available in the room which are generic and not what you’d expect from a high end establishment.

The room was also missing a dressing table/desk area, which let it down somewhat as it’s always useful to have a designated space to get ready and apply your makeup. This would have added to that 5-star feel that I felt was lacking throughout the hotel; attention to detail.

The bathroom was a clean, luxurious space; in tones of beige, complete with a walk-in, rainfall shower, large mirror and sink area.

The Pool Area & Lio Beach

Seda Lio boasts a huge pool overlooking the beach; with sun loungers placed inside the pool to one side and the pool bar serving an array of cocktails, it’s the perfect spot for sundowners. I have to say it wasn’t the cleanest pool I’ve swam in, lots of debris and dragonflies on the surface meant that I didn’t want to spend all day in there.

The pool overlooks Lio beach, which is quiet, clean, secluded and has security; the idyllic spot to relax and listen to the sound of the waves gently crashing on the sand.

The sand is pristine and the sea a beautiful calming green. When we visited in rainy season, the sea was calm and you could walk out a long way into it, making it ideal for poor or none swimmers. The beach is extremely long and wide so we were fortunate to be able to relax with none else in sight.

Just beware of the nik-nik’s or sand flies/midges as they are otherwise known – you can’t see then, but if you’re anything like me, you’ll leave covered in itchy bites regardless of how much repellant you apply.

Water sports at the beach including kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, pedal boating, snorkelling and windsurfing are all complimentary for guests too.

The Spa At Seda Lio

Tucked away around the back of the resort is the Seda Spa. A gorgeous, airy wooden hut overlooking the forest, with individual treatment rooms dotted all around.

We booked in for a massage each; me a Swedish massage and Jass went for the Hilot massage. He thoroughly enjoyed his, though I always forget how painful a Swedish massage is. I was regretting my decision for the next two days as I walked around with a sore neck and back. The therapists however were lovely and I left feeling incredibly relaxed – in fact, I still cannot get over just how relaxed I looked after my massage!

The resort also houses a gym, recreation/games room, children’s games room and an outdoor space to play badminton, so there is something for everyone.

Misto Restaurant

Much like the rest of the Philippines, the food wasn’t impressive here, even more so if you are vegetarian or vegan.

Misto is Seda Lio’s all-day dining restaurant that serves local and international dishes. They serve a buffet breakfast and the option of a buffet or a la carte meals for dinner.

Breakfast was fine – I mean, there was the incident of discovering a caterpillar in my breakfast which you can watch in my vlog below, however, the management apologised profusely and did redeem themselves by way of a complimentary spa treatment each.

On our first night, we had a buffet dinner and as expected, there wasn’t a ton of veggie choice – the usual offerings of pasta in a tomato sauce, pizza, one salad option and garlic rice. However, they were very accommodating where possible; making me the only vegetable curry at the buffet without the oyster sauce for example.

The buffet dinner was adequate, but we felt it wasn’t worth it’s steep price tag of around £25pp. For the rest of our stay, we booked a tricycle to take us to the town centre and back, only 20 minutes away for dinner. With a lively atmosphere and a plethora of restaurants to choose from – including the only (wonderful) vegan restaurant I came across on our entire trip; Taste El Nido, the town is the place to dine.

Surrounding Area

There are plenty of things to do around the Lio Tourism Estate, all within walking distance of the hotel or there are complimentary bamboo bikes available for guests at reception, which we didn’t know about at the time.

There are restaurants, bars and some shops to visit. The area highlights arts and crafts from all over Palawan, giving visitors a chance to purchase items directly from locals and help boost the local industry which is lovely.

Sadly we didn’t have enough time to explore the Shops @ Lio as we were keen to visit as many hidden beaches and do as many water sports as possible.

El Nido is a small beach town that maintains its rustic rural vibe – it is only a twenty minute tricycle ride away from Seda Lio and is a must-visit. There are no towering luxury hotels here, instead you’ll find all the budget hotels and hostels here.

It has a great buzz and that small-town charm, well preserved by the locals, travel businesses, restaurants, bars and nightlife.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Seda Lio, mostly because of it’s location; right on Lio beach and far away enough from the hustle and bustle of the town. It’s refreshing to stay somewhere that engages in sustainable practices that not only benefit the guests but most importantly benefit the island and the environment. 

Though this was by far the priciest hotel stay of our entire trip, I’m not sure it’s worth the 5 stars it claims to be. El Nido however, was my favourite of the islands we visited. With so many hidden white sand beaches to explore and water activities to do, I couldn’t recommend a trip here enough.

Things To Do In El Nido

El Nido is the perfect destination for those who love tropical islands & lagoons and partaking in adventurous activities and water sports – making it a perfect Philippines bucket list destination. Island Hopping is one of the most popular activities in El Nido, where you can discover many hidden beaches, lagoons, and caves. While on these tours, you can go snorkelling, kayaking and scuba diving. I absolutely loved discovering the Secret Lagoon on one of these tours.

Feel free to steal my El Nido itinerary!

The island hopping tours can be booked through Seda Lio but we booked this tour via Klook as it was a fraction of the price compared to booking through the hotel. It was our first time using Klook and we were very impressed at how effortless it was and the tour providers were brilliant. Highly recommend!

You can watch my vlog of the El Nido Island Hopping Tour A here or below.

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Our Stay At Seda Lio, El Nido Travel Vlog